Drinking-cup.



H. M. RUSSELL, JR.

DRINKING GU1 APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21, 1912.

1,61,46, Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

WITNESSES.

W m i HENRY M. RUSSELL, 33., 0F WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA.

DRINKING-CUP.

memes.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 16,1913.

Application filed. October 21, 1912. Serial No. 726,905.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY M. RUSSELL, Jr., a citizen of the United States of America, residing at I/Vheeling, in the county of Ohio and State of I/Vest Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Drinking-Cups, of which the following is a description.

One object of my invention is to provide a drinking cup which shall be of a convenient size for use but which may be folded into a very small space.

Another object of my invention is to provide a cup which when folded shall be little liable to injury.

Another object of my invention is to provide a cup of simple construction and one that may be easily cleaned and easily manufactured.

My invention consists of a number of thin strips of metal or other suitable substance held together loosely at their ends by rivets or other connectors so that when not under tension they form a flat pack. The strips are so shaped, however, and the holes, through which the rivets or other connectors pass, are so placed that the strips or leaves may be bent into a half ring and then spread.

out to form a cup shaped much like half a melon.

Referring now to the drawings forming a part hereof Figure 1 is a top view of the cup folded. Fig. 2 is a side view of the cup folded. Fig. 3 is an end view of the cup extended. Fig. 4 is a top view of the cup extended, and Fig. 5 is a detail view hereinafter described.

In Fig. 2 single lines were used to represent the edges of the blades because in the actual cup from which the drawings were made the thickness of the leaves was less than the width of the lines used. To show the edges with a light and a heavy line would give a wrong impression of the structure.

In all the figures the numeral 6 designates the leaves or blades of which the cup is made up and the numeral 7 designates the rivets or other connectors that hold the leaves together.

The numeral 8 designates a hole in a leaf 6.

Fig. 5 shows one end of a leaf 6 and the hole 8 which the leaf 6 has in it near its end and also one of the rivets or other connectors 7 the head of which has been removed to show the hole 8 and the relation thereto of the shank of the rivet or other connector.

I/Vhen folded the cup is merely a flat pack of thin strips held together loosely by two rivets. As will be seen by reference to Fig. 2 the rivets or other connectors 7 have shanks longer than the aggregate thickness of all the leaves. This allows the ends of the leaves to separate slightly when they are extended and gives them a twist that tends to keep them in contact. It is not necessary to have the shanks of the rivets or other connectors as long as they are shown in the drawing. I prefer considerable excess of length in the shanks but it is only necessary to have such excess as will insure that the blades will be free to move with respect to each other. The hole 8 must be somewhat larger than the shank of the rivet or other connector 7 so as to allow the latter some play. Otherwise it would be impossible to spread the leaves. It is immaterial whether the connectors be rivets or whether they have one or both heads screwed on or whether their form is like that shown. They might have any one of a number of forms unlike that shown without departing from the spirit of the invention. The leaves also might be given a variety of shapes without departing from the spirit of the invention. The leaves are preferably so shaped and the holes are preferably so located that one edge of each leaf is less curved than the other edge and that the holes are nearer to the more curved edge than to the less curved edge but that the center of a straight line joining the two holes in any leaf will be nearer to the less curved edge than to the more curved edge. This insures that when the leaves are sprung and spread out one shall overlap another. It also tends to keep them in contact. The leaves make such angles with each other that outside each line of contact there is a narrow V shaped trough. The surface tension of the liquid in this trough, when any liquid has leaked through, tends to prevent further leakage.

The word elastic as applied herein to the leaves of the cup, means having a tendency to straighten out when bentlike a watch-spring. It does not mean that the leaves may be stretched out and will contract like a rubber band.

I claim:

1. In a drinking cup the combination of a plurality of thin flat narrow leaves each leaf hating a hole in it near each end, said holes being so placed that the middle point of a line joining them will be unequally distant from the edges of such leaf, two connecting members holding the leaves together, one of said connecting members passing through one hole and the other of said connecting members passing through the other hole in each leaf.

2. In a drinking cup a plurality of flat narrow elastic leaves a hole near each end of each leaf and two suitable connectors, one passing through one hole of each leaf, the said holes being of such size and shape with respect to said connectors that the latter shall have lateral play in at least one direction in said holes. I

8. A drinking cup comprising a pack of flat leaves so shaped that they may be sprung in either of two directions and then spread out into a cup shape, and connectors adapted to hold said leaves together in either the pack or the cup form and to per mit the change from one form to the other.

4. In a drinking cup the combination of a plurality of thin fiat elastic leaves, rivets connecting the ends of said leaves, said leaves being so shaped that they may be sprung into a substantially semicircular pack and then spread out to form a cup and that when so spread out they shall remain extended.

5. In a drinking cup a plurality of flat leaves adapted to form a flat pack when not under tension or to be bent and spread into cup form and to remain in such fornr under tension.

6. In a drinking cup the combination of two rivets and a plurality of elastic leaves of equal length, each leaf extending from one to the other rivet by a curve in a different plane from that of each other leaf, and one edge of every leaf but one pressing against the inside surface of the next leaf.

7 In a drinking cup the combination of two connectors and a plurality of elastic leaves, one end of each leaf being held by one of said connectors and each of said leaves being sprung so that its end portions shall be substantially parallel, said leaves being so disposed with respect to each other as to form an approximately semi-ellipsoidal cup.

8. In a drinking cup the combination of two connectors and a plurality of thin elastic leaves, each leaf being curved on one edge and straight on the other, and being held by one of said connectors at each end, each of said leaves being sprung into a half ring, the said leaves being so disposed with respect to each other and so held that they shall. form a cup and shall be kept in con tact with each other by their own elasticity.

9. In a drinking cup the combination of a plurality of flat elastic similarly shaped leaves, each leaf being straight on one edge and so curved on the other edge as to be widest at its middle point and having in it two holes, one near each end, said holes being nearer the curved than the straight edge of said leaf, but so placed that a line joining said holes will be nearer the straight than the curved edge of said leaf at its widest point, and suitable connectors passing through said holes in such a way as to normally hold said leaves in a loose flat pack.

10. In a drinking cup the combination of two rivets and a plurality of flat elastic strips extending from one rivet to the other by such curves that each strip will be substantially tangent to a sphere at the poles of which will be the said rivets, the respective lines of tangency being meridians on one hemisphere thereof, and adjacent leaves belng in contact throughout substantially their entire lengths.

11. In a drinking cup the combination of two connectors and a plurality of elastic leaves, each leaf being held by one of said connectors at each end and each leaf being sprung into approximately a half ring, the edge of each leaf but one pressing against the inside surface of the adjacent leaf so as to give a slight twist to each leaf.

12. In a drinking cup the combination of two rivets and a plurality of elastic leaves of similar shape, each leaf having two holes in it, one near each extremity, one of said rivets passing through one of said holes in each leaf, said leaves being so shaped that the center of one edge of each leaf shall be farther from said rivets than the center of the other edge, and each of said leaves but one overlapping an adjacent leaf.

13. In a drinking cup the combination of two rivets and a plurality of elastic leaves having holes near their extremities and each sprung into ahalf ring and each held by one of said rivets at each end, said rivets passing through said holes and said rivets being long enough to allow the end portions of said leaves to be separated from each other at one side.

14. In a drinking cup a number of members made of thin sheet material the edges of some of said members pressing against the surfaces of other of said members but the interior angle at every such line of contact being greater than the exterior angle.

15. In a drinking cup the combination of tors passing through said holes and having a plurality of thin elastic leaves, each havsome lateral play therein holding said leaves 10 ing two hole? in it, one near each end and together. each leaf s0 s 1a ed that the middle oint of a line joining siich holes shall be n arer to HENRY RUSSELL one edge of said leaf than to the other, the Witnesses: edge to Which such point is nearer being GIBSON L. CALDWELL, substantially straight and suitable connec- J. LESTER PRICE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

